Dream Theater

rushfan4 wrote: But this is a Dream Theater "Appreciation" thread, or at least it is in the "Appreciation" section of the forums so the negative Nellies need to take their negativity to a Prog News post or something.  I have to agree with Jampa on how amazingly negative many of the posters are on PA regarding DT.  I suspect that much of it has to do with the fact that they are actually successful from a prog standpoint, and heaven forbid we allow that to happen.  Prog artists are required to be obscure starving artists in order to have any prog credibility.

Most of us here posting are actually DT fans, so I think we have every right to express our disappointment with the song, or certain aspects of it.

I like it.  But that doesn't mean I'm not going to critique it.

My take after second listen:

Okay, it's pretty good DT, but in my opinion it doesn't come close to matching up to the single from the last album.  OtBoA seemed a lot more intense, fresh, and inspired, even though it very much fit into "classic DT" mold.  This one has a similar structure and goal without being executed as well, imo.

The intro is great.  Yes it's more "thrash"-y but it has some great riffs.  The riffs are well-written, characteristic DT guitar parts but interesting enough that they don't sound stale.

But then it gets to the part where the vocals start...and the foundation they establish with the intro seems to disappear.  It's typical metal chugging and simple chord rhythms; and the chords, I must say, are not that terribly interesting.  I think they should have tried to develop some of the intro riffs going into the verse, playing off the riffs and progressions they had at the beginning instead of starting a new and inferior theme.

Vocals are fine, melodies are boring. 

The instrumental section isn't my favorite from DT, but the interplay between guitar and keys is wonderful.  To me, it could have been more melodically interesting, but it's captivating enough listening to Petrucci and Rudess play around each other.  Petrucci plays too many notes, though.  He's 40 years old, it's time he matured enough as a guitar player to learn that sometimes it's best to restrain yourself a little bit.  Overall, however, I thought the interlude was well-crafted, and they will probably stretch themselves out a bit more with the instrumental sections on the rest of the album.

As others have commented, Myung is inaudible.  A pity.  No comment on drums, I have no idea.  They lyrics are lackluster, a disappointment after the excellent lyrics on ADTOE.

Overall, it's good, but nothing special.  I will buy the album and will probably enjoy it.  I'm guessing there will be better songs on there than this, but in the end it's DT and they almost always release solid stuff and I enjoy it.  I criticized Rush's Headlong Flight when it came out before their album too, and have grown to like it a lot more since then, so maybe this one will grow on me too.

As a DT fan who found the last album a distinct step down from the wonderful BCASL this pretty negative response is a little dispiriting. Hopefully there will be plenty of good stuff on the album, the worry being that the track they previewed off ADTOE turned out to be one of the best on there.

We'll see.

progbethyname wrote: Catcher10 wrote: ^ Funny......I grew to love Rush's BU2B. When it came out as the B side to Caravan, I actually connected with it more than Caravan. Even my wife taps her foot and an occasional head bob when it comes on PalladiaTV "Time Machine Tour" show.   I actually like OtBoA, hearing it live helps too......I have no reservations the DT album will be good. But I have said before, these guys are better than good and with all the great music being released the last 2 yrs they need to be at the top looking down, not the reverse. I love your avatar! Peart killing it at the time machine tour. I actually watched this with my mother one time and she loved it. I couldn't have been happier. She said 'I could watch these guys play all day!' yay Ma!!!!

Just saw Petrucci when he came to Sweetwater last night. I have to admit he sounds like the most genuine, kind, and funny, musicians I have ever seen. Got a couple signatures and tried not to fanboy out too hard.

Scenes from a Memory is a masterpiece, in my opinion. But I have some resistance in considering them one of my favourite bands. Besides, I'm not a particular fan of Labrie's screams.... =/

No one talking about the new song yet?

Dream Theater - Along for the Ride

I like this far better than The Enemy Inside.  The lead single sounded like they were trying too hard to be "metal," this one is much more mature, in my opinion; this time they sound like the band that recorded the excellent ADTOE: just good songwriting and composition that seems to flow naturally.  It has a different feel from the last album but it's not a huge departure.  Melodies are nothing really special but they sound nice and Labrie's vocals are excellent.  Chord progression is not complex but fits the song, and the guitar parts really add texture and harmonic interest.  Love the drone guitar part on the bridge where it gets heavy and builds in intensity.  And you can actually hear Myung for once!  He's holding the low end down loud and clear during Jordan's solo.  The song seems to me to be perfectly constructed, nothing groundbreaking but a quintessential example of the DT ballad style.

Lyrics are pretty good too, much better than the first single, even if they do get a little cheesy during the bridge.

Yeah, the song sounds nice. Just can't wait to hear some really prog songs in there.